Image digitizing system

ABSTRACT

A transporting system for an image digitizer can handle both positive and negative transparent film material. The transport features accurate linear motion with high resolution in a single compact unit. For the processing of individually framed slides, an automatic eject mechanism is provided. Both manual and motor driven focus adjustments are provided. Individual images can be oriented by an angular adjustment option. A special carrier allows the system to process negatives in uncut strips. The transport can manage larger number of images using either a slide tray or roll feed attachment.

This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 08/601,490, filedFeb. 14, 1996, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 08/333,944,filed Nov. 3, 1994, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 07/998,457,filed Dec. 30, 1992, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No.07/753,185, filed Aug. 30, 1991 all abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to an apparatus for digitizing transparencies ornegatives in a desk-top computer environment and, more particularly, tosuch an apparatus designed to accommodate images presented asindividually mounted slides, negatives in strips, or roll material.

2. Related Background Art

Image digitizers and their associated image processing workstations havegrown in popularity. Individual graphic designers, advertisers, realtorsand news reporters are incorporating this kind of image acquisition intotheir daily work. These digitizers or scanners are typically connectedto computers for use in conjunction with desk-top publishing programs.

In addition, an image digitizer can be installed in a color copier,color printer, color facsimile machine or portable image transmissionsystem. Further, a large part of the proofing can be accomplished bydigitizing and sending the film data to a monitor.

A user typically purchases a scanner based upon cost, ease of use,performance and reliability. Desirable features are that it should notoccupy considerable desk space. It should provide high performance, butstill be affordable. If the decision is for a transparency scanner, theunit should be able to process negatives in their native format, namelyuncut strips of 4 to 6 frames. Some users, such as stock photographyhouses, art galleries or museums, have a need to digitize large numbersof images for cataloging, archiving, or transmission over telephonelines.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One object of the present invention is the provision of a system whichis inexpensive, compact, rugged and accurate. In order to beinexpensive, it must be easily assembled and not require criticalalignment.

A further object is the implementation of a single assembly whichincludes all of the mechanical and optical components of thetransparency digitizing system.

A further object is to provide a calibrated mechanical angularadjustment of images on the film before digitization.

A further object is to both accept and eject media through a frontloading opening.

A further object is to accept an elongate film strip through a frontloading opening and to discharge the strip through a second opening,preferably in the rear of the unit.

A further object is the capability to manage large numbers of individualimages without the need for operator interaction.

An image digitizing system of the present invention for reading anddigitizing an image of an original document is characterized bycomprising an original holding member for holding the original documentand having an opening to be used for reading the original document,drive means for moving the original holding member when the originaldocument is read, and eject means for ejecting the original document outof the original holding member upon completion of reading of theoriginal document.

Also, an image digitizing system of the present invention for focusingan image of an original document on a line sensor and reading said imageon the original document in a line form to be digitized is characterizedby comprising an original holding member for holding the originaldocument and having an opening to be used for reading the originaldocument, a guide member consisting of rods extending in the axialdirection for guiding a movement of the original holding member, drivemeans for driving the original holding member along the guide memberwhen the original document is read, focus means for performing focusingadjustment of the image of the original document in the original holdingmember on the line sensor, and eject means for ejecting the originaldocument out of the original holding member upon completion of readingof the original document.

As described above, according to the image digitizing system of thepresent invention, an original document can be ejected out of theoriginal holding member easily upon completion of the reading of theoriginal document. Also, since said image digitizing system has thefocus means, an image of the original document in the original holdingmember can be focused on the line sensor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described in detailbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary diagrammatic perspective view of a transportmechanism according to the invention, including a motor/drive assembly;

FIG. 2A is a diagrammatic perspective view of an outer part of a slidejacket which is a component of the mechanism of FIG. 1, includingstructure which provides angular adjustment and automatic ejection of aslide;

FIG. 2B is a diagrammatic perspective view of an ejector and tilt barwhich are components of the slide jacket of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary diagrammatic perspective view of a camarrangement with manual and servo control allowing fine focusadjustments;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view which shows an adaptor used tohandle negatives in strips;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic perspective view of part of a variation of theembodiment of FIG. 1 which permits continuous processing of frames on afilm roll;

FIGS. 6A to 6C are cross-sectional diagrammatic views showing an ejectmechanism of a film in response to a movement of a carriage;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary diagrammatic perspective view of anotherembodiment of the transport mechanism and the fine focus adjustmentmechanism; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional diagrammatic view showing a focusingmechanism according to the other embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is directed to a system of the general typedisclosed in Applicant's copending Ser. No. 07/619,663 filed on Nov. 28,1990 and entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOP RAPID SCANNING OF COLORIMAGES, which is a continuation-in-part of Applicant's abandoned U.S.Ser. No. 07/511,649 filed on Apr. 20, 1990. The disclosure of each ofthese two prior applications is hereby incorporated herein by reference.The system disclosed in the prior applications includes mechanical,optical and electrical portions. The present invention relates to animproved mechanical arrangement for handling film which bears images tobe digitized. The optical and electrical portions of the systemembodying the present invention are effectively identical to the opticaland electrical portions of the system disclosed in the two priorapplications, and the optical and electrical portions are therefore notdescribed herein in detail.

In practice, transparencies or slides 200 are typically framed in 50×50millimeter mounts, while negatives are typically processed in strips of4, 5 or 6 images. The preferred embodiment is disclosed with referenceto these specific formats, but it will be recognized that the inventioncan be used with other formats.

Drive Mechanism

Attention is now drawn to FIG. 1, which illustrates pertinent mechanicalparts of the system. A conventional stepper motor 101 is secured to aflange of a housing 102 which accommodates the entire scanningapparatus. Electrical components and optical components such as a lightsource, various mirrors, an imaging lens and a detector array have beenomitted for clarity. The motor 101 has a shaft bearing a small gear 111,which meshes with a larger idler gear 112 fixedly secured to a shaft121. The gears 111 and 112 could alternatively be replaced with afriction drive or an arrangement employing a belt and pulleys. The idlergear 112 rotatably drives the shaft 121, which is rotatably supported onthe housing by two bearings 123 and 124. The shaft 121 also carries twopinions 125 and 126 which each mesh with a respective longitudinallymovable rack 131 or 132. The two racks are rigidly connected to atransport carriage 201.

The transport carriage 201 is guided for reciprocal movement by a guidearrangement of rods 141-142 and bearings, which is equivalent to thatdisclosed in the above-mentioned prior applications. The guidearrangement is therefore described only briefly here. In particular, apair of upper rods 141 are disposed above and extend approximatelyparallel to a pair of lower rods 142. The ends of the upper rods 141remote from the front panel 151 are supported by the carriage which hasits racks 131 and 132 supported by the pinions 125 and 126, whichpermits the ends of rods 141 adjacent the front panel 151 to movevertically a small amount. The lower rods 142 are supported at theirends adjacent the front panel by not-illustrated springs of the typedisclosed in the above-mentioned prior patent, so that the ends adjacentto the front panel can move vertically a small amount. The transportcarriage 201 includes an upper shell 201a having spaced bushing-likebearings slidably supported on the upper rods 141, and a lower shell201b having spaced bushing-like bearings slidably supported on the lowerrods 142. The upper rods 141 are each biased downwardly by a respectivespring, one of which is shown in FIG. 1 at 143, thereby also urging thecarriage downwardly so that the racks 131 and 132 are urged downwardlyagainst the pinions, which in turn ensures that the gear teeth of theracks and pinions are fully in engagement without any significant playin order to provide zero backlash.

In the preferred embodiment the transport has the following pitch:

Motor 3.6° per full step

Idler gear ratio 1:3

Number of pinion teeth=12 with a 0.3 (metric) module

Driving the stepper with 32 mini-steps per 360 electrical thus yields a0.15° rotation of the pinion per mini-step, and a 5 micron per mini-stepfeed resolution for the carriage.

The drive system provides enough friction so that, in conjunction withthe gear ratio, the carriage 201 will remain in a fixed position even ifthe motor is not energized. This allows manual insertion of a slide 200whenever the carriage is in its home position nearest the front panel151, even if the motor has no power.

The pinions 125 and 126 act as a pivot axis about which the racks canrotate. This pivot axis and the pivot provided by a focussing cam 301ensure that the piece of film being digitized is always kept at auniform height regardless of variations in the thickness of the framesin which different pieces of film are mounted. The carriage assembly 201is limited in its forward travel by the front panel 151. As to rearwardtravel, there is no direct limit on rearward travel of the carriageitself, but rearward travel of an ejector 211 is limited by a pair ofclaws 161 and 162 on the housing which can engage the ejector 211 of thecarriage.

Eject Operation

In order to perform a scanning operation, the entire slide 200 is pushedinto the unit through a narrow slotlike passageway or opening 152 in thefront panel 151. This opening is kept small in order to positively keythe slide to the proper position, to minimize the entry of dust, and toprotect the detector array from ambient light. Once the slide is insidethe scanning apparatus, it is inaccessible to the user. A mechanism musttherefore be provided to eject the slide at the end of scanning.

FIG. 2A illustrates the eject mechanism. The above-mentioned ejector 211(FIG. 2B) is located inside a slide jacket 221. The ejector 211 carriesstops 212, against which the slide is seated. When a slide is manuallyinserted, the slide pushes stops 212 and ejector 211 rearwardly. Thefinal position of the stops is determined by a tilt bar 231, which isdescribed below.

During scanning of a slide, the motor 101 moves the carriage 201 farenough to expose the entire slide image to the optical components, sothat the system can digitize the entire image field. Typically, thistravel is 36 mm. If the user has specified via software that the slideis to be ejected, the software causes the control circuit to control themotor so as to move the carriage 201 an additional 14 mm. At the startof this over-travel, the ejector 211 engages the claws 161 and 162,which are part of the housing 102. The carriage 201 will thus continueits travel while the ejector 211, the stops 212 and the slide are heldin a predetermined place. The ejector 211 is held in a predeterminedplace vertically and sideways by its shape, which mates with the shellof the carriage 201. Along the axis of travel the ejector can travelapproximately 14 mm. Forward travel is limited by a cutout 203 (FIG. 2A)formed in the carriage upper shell 201a, and rearward travel by a tiltbar 231. The stationary slide is therefore pushed partially out of thecarriage 201 by the amount of carriage over-travel. When the transportdirection is then reversed and the carriage is brought to its homeposition adjacent front panel 151, the slide will extend out of theopening 152 by the amount of over-travel. The operator can thuscomfortably remove it from the unit. The ejector is manually returned toits original position when a new slide is manually inserted.

The ejector 211 has several elongate slits 213. The pattern in whichslits 213 are arranged is used as a code to differentiate whether theejector or the slide frame is in the optical path, and allows the systemto determine if the carriage is loaded with a slide. In particular, whenthe carriage is in its home position, the region which is imaged ontothe detector array corresponds to a line extending across the portion ofthe ejector 211 which has the slits 213, and the system can examine thedetected image for a pattern of bright and dark line segmentscorresponding to the slits. If the detector array senses black in thispart of the image, a slide must be in the carriage since the slide mountwill obstruct the optical path. If no slide has been inserted, eitherzero attenuation (i.e. maximum light source intensity) or the codepattern of the ejector (pattern of light and dark line segments) isdetected.

On power-up, an eject operation is automatically executed to eject anyslide which might have been left in the carriage inadvertently or whichmight be stuck because of a hang-up.

Emergency Ejector

Since it is always conceivable that power might suddenly fail completelyduring system operation, the apparatus also features a manual emergencyejector 241, which is shown in FIG. 2A. The emergency ejector is seatedin a recess in the front panel 151 and is thus accessible from theoutside. In the case of a crash, the carriage 201 could be located inany position along its path of travel. The emergency ejector 241 pullsthe carriage 201 all the way forward to its home position against thefront panel 151. Since the emergency ejector 241 engages the ejectorstops 212, the slide will extend out of the opening 152 in the frontpanel.

Rotational Adjustment

For many applications, the exact orientation of the slide is notcritical. For these applications, the edges of the window in the slidemount are a sufficient reference for the horizontal and vertical majoraxes. In some applications, however, the image orientation is morecritical. For example, technical, architectural and product images oftenrequire precise angular orientation.

Since software rotation is very time-consuming and can degrade the imagequality, the present invention avoids software rotation by providingprecise mechanical adjustment of the angular orientation beforescanning. FIG. 2A is again used for the purpose of illustration. Thesidewalls of the jacket 221 have been formed to provide a wide slidereceiving channel (about 52 mm in the preferred embodiment) for easyslide insertion. At the center of each side of the jacket is a convexprotrusion 202, the distance between the two protrusions 202 beingsubstantially the exact width of a slide frame. The protrusions 202 thuscenter the slide, while permitting it to be rotated a few degrees abouta central vertical axis.

The ejector stops 212, which positively position the slide, are notfixed in their location relative to the carriage but are capable of somelimited adjustment. This adjustment is effected by the tilt bar 231which defines the angular position of the ejector 211 and thus of thestops 211 thereon. This tilt bar is pivotally supported on the slidejacket by a vertical rivet 233, which gives the tilt bar the ability topivot a few degrees about a vertical axis. The angular orientation ofthe tilt bar can be adjusted by a screw 232 which is rotatably supportedon and extends the length of the outer slide jacket, which is heldagainst axial movement relative to the slide jacket, and whichthreadedly engages a threaded hole in a flange of the tilt bar 231 at alocation spaced radially from the rivet 233. When the carriage is in itshome position, the head of this screw becomes accessible from theoutside through a small hole in the front panel.

The operator uses this feature in the following manner. The image isscanned in the normal position. If a critical reference line appearstilted in the resulting digitized image, the user will measure the angleof tilt in the image, either with a software tool or with a conventionalruler or protractor. The adjustment is calibrated by providing onedegree of tilt per single full screw rotation. With this capability, theslide or negative carrier can be accurately aligned to the sensor whenpositively seated against the stops.

In a simplified alternative version of this arrangement, the ejector 211could rest against the rivet 233 without the provision of the adjustmentscrew 232. While not providing calibrated rotational adjustment, thisstill allows the slide to be rotated about its center.

Fine Focus/Autofocus

The focusing arrangement is illustrated in FIG. 3. The interaction ofthe upper rods 141 and lower rods 142 with the transport carriage 201ensures that most slides do not need any focusing adjustment. Regardlessof the thickness of the mount, the film is always kept verticallycentered. However, if the user is scanning glass-mounted slides, theoptical path will be lengthened. There are also some exotic mounts inwhich the film is not centered. Additionally, one might want topurposely defocus the image for special effects. For these cases, amanual and motorized focus control is provided.

In the preferred embodiment, focussing is accomplished by adjusting theheight of the front ends of the upper rods 141. These rods are supportedat their front ends in respective grooves 302 machined into an elongatefocussing cam member 301 which is supported on housing 102 for rotationabout its lengthwise axis, the grooves 302 being eccentric to the axisof rotation. The focussing cam member can be rotated manually by a focusknob 303 which projects through a slot in the front panel 151. The focusknob 303 has a stop 304 which can engage the front panel 151 to limitits rotation. The film can be raised or lowered approximately 1millimeter by cam member 301. It is further possible to couple the cammember 301 through a friction clutch 312 having a pinion to a worm gear311 driven by a stepper motor 321, allowing for automatic focusing.

Adaptor for Negative Strips

The use of a transparency digitizer for the purpose of scanningnegatives is highly desirable. While slides are framed in 50×50 mmmounts, negatives are typically kept as film strips of up to six framesper strip. This format is advantageous for both archiving and handling.A scanning system which required cutting and mounting of individualnegative frames would be disadvantageous and undesirable.

The preferred embodiment has been designed to accommodate film strips,in the following manner. As shown in FIG. 4, an adaptor 401 can supporta negative strip and can be inserted into the scanning apparatus. Thisadaptor has a central area which resembles a slide mount, in that it hasa 24×36 mm opening 402. The user centers the particular frame of thefilm strip to be scanned within this opening. The first three frames ofa six-frame strip can be scanned in their proper orientation. The lengthof the scanner allows it to receive only about half of the length of thefilm strip, and therefore to scan the remaining three frames the stripis physically reversed in the adaptor 401. Images will thus be scannedfrom the reverse strip upside down, and after scanning the resultingimage has to be flipped digitally so that the data is in the properformat. Software capable of flipping a digital image is known and is nota part of the present invention, and therefore is not described here indetail. As shown in FIG. 4, the opening 402 has at one end a triangularextension 403. This extension exposes a border area 411 of the filmlocated between two frames. Before digitization of the image data, thescanning apparatus can sample the density in this unexposed area toestablish a black reference.

The rear portion of the adaptor, which is inserted first into thescanning apparatus, is 40 mm wide, which is enough to accept the 35 mmfilm width but also leaves 5 mm on either side for retention by theejector stops 212 (FIG. 2). The rear portion has a length sufficient toaccommodate two additional frames beyond the frame being scanned. Theopposite or front end of the adaptor is long enough so that a part of italways projects out of the scanning apparatus to protect the film in anyposition, and has the width of a standard slide mount, namely 50 mm. Theadaptor 401 has upper and lower shells or plates, the lower shell havingupwardly projecting pins 421 which mate with holes 422 in the uppershell to facilitate the alignment of the negative strip by virtue of thepins on opposite sides or the opening 402 being spaced by a distancewhich is the width of a standard film strip. The upper and lower shellsof the adaptor are pivotally coupled for ease of handling, for exampleby a hinge. Offset cutouts 423 in the upper and lower shell of theadaptor along an edge of each opposite from the hinge facilitate openingof the carrier.

This or a similar adaptor can also be used to manage single unmountedslide frames, or other transparent material such as dental X-ray filmsor glass microscope slides.

Inside the scanning apparatus, two important features facilitate use ofthe adaptor 401. Referring to FIG. 1, the stops 212 which positivelyorient the slide mount are spaced by a distance sufficient for film andcarrier to pass. Also, there must be enough depth clearance toward therear to allow unobstructed passage for the length of the adaptor.Typically, the adaptor penetrates into the scanning apparatus beyond thescanning area by at least two additional frames of 38 mm each.

Carousel Extension

In some applications, it is desirable to automatically scan a largenumber of slides. The use of a standard straight or carousel tray istherefore indicated. The disclosed scanning apparatus can operate in anyorientation, and for this application it is located underneath the traywith the carriage traveling vertically. For a tray scanning station, thecarriage assembly is implemented in a slightly different fashion. Theejector provides essentially a solid back wall for the jacket. The pathof travel of the carriage is increased to include transporting the slidefrom inside the tray to the scanning position. After each full scanningcycle, a feed ratchet automatically advances the tray to the nextposition. Such an arrangement can digitize a 120 slide carousel in about6 hours for off-line batch digitization.

Scanning of Roll Material

In another application for volume scanning, image data is stored on anelongate film strip having 24, 36 or more exposures. A variation of thedisclosed embodiment which accommodates this application is shown inFIG. 5. In conjunction with the passage provided for the negative stripcarrier, a rear opening 501 and an adaptor or chute 511 to guide thefilm have been added to allow handling of entire film strips or largerreels.

The adaptor 511 guides the film material in the pull-in direction. A setof two spaced sprocket wheels 521 and associated pinch rollers 522retain the film when the carriage returns to its home position. Inparticular, the sprocket wheels include a ratchet mechanism 523 of aconventional type which allows the film to advance when the carriagemoves in the feed direction, but keeps it from moving in the oppositedirection as the carriage returns. The sprocket wheel and pinch rollerassembly can be releasably snapped to the front panel. The scanningapparatus can automatically advance to the next frame. By analyzing theimage data from scanning, the system can also automatically recognizeframes that are placed irregularly on the film due to cameraidiosyncrasies. This embodiment efficiently scans slide or negative filmand finds application in laboratories and stock photography houses.

Although a particular preferred embodiment of the invention has beendisclosed in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be recognizedthat variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus, includingthe rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the presentinvention.

In this regard, it will be recognized that the apparatus and methoddescribed above are directly applicable to a variety of imagedigitization tasks including different formats, monochrome films andeven opaque originals. The preferred embodiment applies themspecifically to the digitization of 35 mm color transparencies ornegatives, but this is not to be considered limiting.

The eject mechanism described above with reference to FIG. 2A will bedescribed in full with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6C.

Note that the ejector 211 and the claw 161, which are protrudingupwardly from the carriage 201 in FIG. 2A, are protruding downwardly inFIGS. 6A to 6C.

FIG. 6A illustrates a state when the slide 200 is housed in the carriage201 and before the claw 161 which is part of the housing collides withthe ejector 211, i.e., a state after the reading of the image data iscompleted.

FIG. 6B illustrates a state in which the carriage 201 has been driven bythe motor to travel further rearwardly from the state in FIG. 6A. Evenafter the claw 161 collides with the ejector 211, the carriage 201continues to travel rearwardly further. On the other hand, the ejector211 remains at the fixed position since it engages the claw 161.Therefore, the slide 200 which is in contact with the stop 212 of theejector 211 also remains at the fixed position. Thus, the slide 200 isdisplaced fowardly relative to the carriage 201 as the carriage movesrearwardly.

FIG. 6C is a view showing a state in which the carriage 201 has beendriven by the motor to travel toward the front panel from the positionin FIG. 6B. Since the slide 200 has been displaced in a forwarddirection relative to the carriage 201, when the carriage 201 reachesthe edge of the front panel by the driving of the motor, the slide 200is protruding from the opening 152. Therefore, the operator can removethe slide from the unit.

Another embodiment will be described next. When an image is read only inone direction so that there is no problem of backlash, a drive mechanismas shown in FIG. 7 can be provided. The embodiment in FIG. 1 employs tworacks and two pinions. However, the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 has onlyone rack and one pinion in a set, pivoting upon one end of paired lowerrods. Differences from the embodiment in FIG. 1 will be specificallyexplained below.

One rack 131 is formed on the carriage 201. A pinion 125 which engagessaid rack 131 is provided. Since the rack is arranged on one side of thecarriage, it is no longer necessary to adjust engagement and engagingpositions between the racks and pinions on both sides as in the previousembodiment, which results in a simple assembling and adjustment. Also,very high precision is not required for gears and parts for installingthe gears.

In the present embodiment, the rear end of the lower rod 142 (at aposition remote from the opening) is arranged to be in contact with alower rod receiving portion 181. Focusing is accomplished by using acontact point between said lower rod and the lower rod receiving portionas a fulcrum for rotation.

Full description will be made with reference to FIG. 8. An uppercarriage 201a is brought into contact with an upper rod 141. A slide 200is inserted between said upper carriage 201a and a lower carriage 201b.The lower carriage 201b is in contact with the lower rod 142. When theupper rod 141 is biased downwardly by a spring 143, the lower rod 142 isbiased downwardly through the upper carriage 201a, the slide 200 and thelower carriage 201b. Therefore, the lower rod 142 is biased toward thelower rod receiving portion 181 of the housing 102. In this case, aposition of engagement between the rack 131 and the pinion 125 and aposition at which the end of the lower rod 142 is in contact with thelower rod receiving portion 181 are approximately aligned with eachother in the longitudinal direction and the vertical direction. Thus,even when the focusing position is vertically moved by a cam member 301,backlash between the rack 131 and the pinion 125 does not change.

Therefore, when the focus knob 303 is rotated, the focusing position ofthe slide 200 changes by using the lower rod receiving portion 181 as afulcrum for rotation.

What is claimed is:
 1. An image digitizing system for reading an imageof an original document to be digitized, comprising: an original holdingmember for holding said original document and having an opening to beused for reading said original document; drive means for moving saidoriginal holding member when said original document is read; and electmeans for ejecting said original document out of said original holdingmember upon completion of reading of said original document; whereinsaid drive means drives said original holding member in a firstdirection when said original document is read and drives said originalholding member in a second direction which is opposite to said firstdirection upon completion of reading of said original document, andwherein said eject means has a member which is in contact with an edgeof the original document in said original holding member, and saidmember ejects said original document out of said original holdingmember, interlockingly with the driving of said original holding memberin the second direction.
 2. An image reading device for reading an imageof a transparent original by illuminating the transparent original,comprising:an original holding member for holding the transparentoriginal, said original holding member being reciprocally movable alongan axis of movement substantially perpendicular to an optical axis ofsaid image so that said original holding member moves between a firstposition along said axis of movement in which the transparent originalis loaded in the original holding member so as to be seated in aninitial location in said original holding member and a second positionalong said axis of movement; transfer means for transferring saidoriginal holding member from said first position along said axis ofmovement to said second position along said axis of movement differentfrom said first position; and eject means for ejecting a portion of thetransparent original from said holding member in response to saidoriginal holding member moving from said first position to said secondposition along said axis of movement so that when said original holdingmember returns to said first position along said axis of movement, saidtransparent original projects outward from said original holding memberrelative to said initial location in said original holding member inwhich the transparent original was seated.
 3. An image reading deviceaccording to claim 2,wherein said original holding member has two platemembers each having an opening, said original holding member holdingsaid transparent original between said two plate members; and whereinsaid eject means includes an eject member movably disposed in a gapbetween said plate members and in engagement with an end surface of saidtransparent original, said eject member beginning said ejection movementof said transparent original when said original holding member ispartway from said first position to said second position, and completingsaid ejection movement of said transparent original when said originalholding member substantially reaches said second position.
 4. An imagereading device according to claim 2, wherein said original holdingmember has therein an opening which includes a reading region forreading the image of said transparent original, and which includes anextended region extending from said reading region.
 5. An image readingdevice according to claim 2, wherein said eject member has means forfacilitating generation of a signal indicating the presence or absenceof the transparent original.
 6. An image reading device according toclaim 2,wherein said transfer means moves said original holding memberfrom said first position along said axis of movement to said secondposition along said axis of movement through a third position along saidaxis of movement; including means for reading the image of thetransparent original during a time when said transfer means is movingsaid original holding member from said first position to said thirdposition; wherein during a time when said transfer means is moving saidoriginal holding member from said third position to said secondposition, said eject means effects said ejection movement of thetransparent original from said original holding member.
 7. An imagereading device according to claim 2, wherein said eject means isconfigured to eject the transparent original from said original holdingmember towards said first position so that when said original holdingmember returns to said first position, the transparent original extendsforward from said original holding member first position.
 8. An imagereading device according to claim 2, further comprising a coverpositioned to be located adjacent said first position of said originalholding member, said cover formed with an opening through which saidtransparent original is loaded into said original holding member whensaid original holding member is in said first position and, wherein,when said original holding member returns from said second position tosaid first position along said axis of movement, said transparentoriginal projects outwardly from said opening in said cover.
 9. An imagereading device for reading an image of a transparent original byilluminating the transparent original, comprising:an original holdingmember for holding said transparent original, said original holdingmember having an opening through which said transparent original can beread; a guide member on said original holding member, said guide memberextending in a direction approximately perpendicular to an optical axisof said image and which guides movement of said original holding member;drive means for generating a drive force; movement transmitting meansfor transmitting the drive force of said drive means to and foreffecting a moving of said original holding member from a first positionto a second position on said guide member through an interface betweensaid movement transmitting means and said original holding member; andfocus adjusting means for moving an and of said guide member in adirection approximately parallel to said optical axis and about apredetermined point on said guide member, said predetermined point beinga fulcrum about which said guide member is displaced so as to adjust theposition of said original holding member along said optical axis tofacilitate focusing of the image of said transparent original hold onsaid original holding member.
 10. An image reading device according toclaim 9, wherein said transparent original is a film strip having aplurality of frames and is supported by an adapter having an openingused for reading one frame of the film strip.
 11. An image readingdevice according to claim 9, further including eject means for effectingan ejection movement of said transparent original from said originalholding member.
 12. An image reading device according to claim 9,wherein said movement transmitting means includes a rack formedintegrally with said original holding member, and includes a piniondriven by said drive means and engaging said rack at said interface. 13.An image reading device according to claim 12, wherein said movement ofsaid end of said guide member by said focus adjusting means effectspivotal movement of said guide member about said interface of said rackwith said pinion, thereby performing the focus adjustment.
 14. An imagereading device according to claim 12, wherein said focus adjusting meansincludes a manually movable cam member which is in engagement with saidend of said guide member, and wherein manual movement of said cam membercauses said guide member to pivot about an engaging point of said rackwith said pinion gear.
 15. An image reading apparatus according to claim12, wherein said focus adjusting means includes a movable cam memberwhich is in engagement with said end of said guide member, and includesa motor for moving the cam member, rotation of said motor causing saidcam member to move said guide member pivotally about an engaging pointof said rack with said pinion gear.
 16. An image reading deviceaccording to claim 9, further including rotation adjusting means foradjusting the angular position of said original holding member andthence said transparent original held thereby about said optical axis.17. The image reading device according to claim 9, wherein saidpredetermined point forming a fulcrum on said guide member is saidinterface between said movement transmitting means and said originalholding member.
 18. An image reading device for reading an image of atransparent original by illuminating the transparent original,comprising:an original holding member for holding said transparentoriginal, said original holding member having an opening through whichsaid transparent original can be read; a guide member which extends in adirection approximately perpendicular to an optical axis of said image,said original holding member being movable along said guide member;movement transmitting means responsive to a motor for moving saidoriginal holding member from a first position on said guide member to asecond position different from said first position; focus adjustingmeans for moving a first end of said guide member in a directionsubstantially parallel to the optical axis and about a fulcrum definedat a second end of guide member to adjust a position of said transparentoriginal along said optical axis so that the image of said transparentoriginal in said original holding member may focus; and eject means forejecting a portion of said transparent original from said originalholding member as said original holding member moves to said secondposition.
 19. An image reading device for reading an image on atransparent original, said image reading device including:a carriage forreceiving the transparent original, wherein the transparent original isseated in an initial location in said carriage; a drive mechanismconnected to said carriage for moving said carriage and the transparentoriginal along a linear axis of travel between a first position in whichthe transparent original is placed in said carriage and a secondposition, said second position being displaced from said first position;and an ejector located adjacent said carriage, said ejector beingfurther positioned to abut the transparent original as said carrier andthe transparent original are moved to said second position so that theaction of said ejector against the transparent original causes thetransparent original to project at least partially outwardly from saidcarrier so that when said carrier and said transparent original aremoved from said second position to said first position, the transparentoriginal extends at least partially outwardly from said carriagerelative to said initial location of the transparent original in saidcarriage.
 20. The image reading device according to claim 19, furtherincluding a cover around said carrier, wherein said cover is formed withan opening through which the transparent original is placed on thecarriage and wherein said carriage and ejector are configured so thatwhen said carriage returns to said first position from said secondposition along said axis of travel, the transparent original projectsoutwardly from said opening said cover.
 21. The image reading deviceaccording to claim 19, wherein said ejector includes an eject memberpositioned to move with said carriage and the transparent original alongsaid axis of travel and a fixed stop member, said fixed stop memberbeing positioned to stop movement of said eject member as said carriageand the transparent original moves toward said second position, whereinwhen said eject member is so stopped, said eject member displaces thetransparent original relative to said carriage.
 22. The image readingdevice according to claim 19, wherein:said drive mechanism moves saidcarriage from said first position to said second position through athird position; a scanner is positioned to read an image on thetransparent original during the time said drive mechanism moves saidcarriage and the transparent original from said first position to saidthird position; and said ejector is positioned to cause the movement ofthe transparent original relative to the carriage as said drivemechanism moves said carriage and the transparent original from saidthird position to said second position.
 23. The image reading deviceaccording to claim 19, further including an auxiliary eject memberseparate from said drive mechanism connected to said carriage for movingsaid carriage to said first position.
 24. The image reading deviceaccording to claim 19, wherein said ejector has a member that cooperateswith said carriage for providing an indication of the absence of atransparent original in said carriage.